READ THE CITIZENS' VOICE

Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Citizens' Voice on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at citizensvoice.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Contact Us
See department contacts, frequently asked questions, request customer service support, submit a photo or place an ad.

Article Tools

Mark Moran / The Citizens' Voice
A construction crew works on the expansion project Thursday.

Mark Moran / The Citizens' Voice
The Enterprise Rent-A-Car facility on Kidder Street in Wilkes-Barre is being expanded to accommodate growth.

WILKES-BARRE - Thanks to a growth in business, Enterprise Rent-A-Car on Kidder Street is expanding into a larger facility at the former Mark II Restaurant site.

Construction of a new, larger car and truck rental business is under way across from Wendy's at 400 Kidder St. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is currently located in a smaller business next-door at 408 Kidder St.

Greg Cavoli, general manager for Enterprise Holdings in Harrisburg, said more jobs will be created as a result of the expansion, but officials have not determined how many employees the company will hire.

He credited loyal customers for helping the business grow.

Enterprise has more than 200 car and truck rental businesses in Pennsylvania, he said.

Enterprise received zoning approval in September last year for the new 11,000-square-foot facility on 2.2 acres on Kidder Street in Wilkes-Barre being constructed where Mark II Restaurant was demolished in April 2011. The Red Carpet Inn, which burned in 2009, also was located on the site and was demolished.

The company's plans also include car and truck sales and a maintenance facility, according to the project narrative filed in the Wilkes-Barre zoning office. The project could be complete by the end of April, said Earl Fearnbaugh, construction superintendent.

Retired tire mogul Jack Williams and his daughter Jennifer own the land and are leasing it to Enterprise.

Jack Williams, the retired former co-owner of Jack Williams Tire and former owner of Two Jacks Cycle, and Jennifer formed a company called JW Ventures and purchased the mortgage to four closed Mark II Restaurants in Luzerne County in 2010 with the hope of renovating them, selling them or leasing them.

Two of the locations were torn down and another location may be demolished as well, Jack Williams said Thursday.

The Kidder Street location was demolished when it became damaged beyond repair, with holes filling the roof and water seeping inside. Another closed restaurant in Edwardsville also was torn down. They sold that location to the next-door Sunoco terminal, which uses the site. Another closed Mark II Restaurant in Dallas might be torn down next, Williams said.

"I'm 71 and the building is older than me," Williams said. "I don't like to tear anything down."

Williams hopes someone still may renovate the former Mark II Restaurant on Route 309 in Wilkes-Barre. Some have expressed an interest, but are still cautious as a result of a tough economy, he said.

The Mark II Restaurants in Wilkes-Barre Township and Dallas closed in 2008 after former owners, brothers Bernie and Tom Sult and their mother Marilyn Carson, entered into bankruptcy and put the four restaurants up for sale. The restaurant on Kidder Street closed in 2006 and the location in Edwardsville closed in 2007.

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.